FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP: The Ultra previews MANCHESTER CITY v WYDAD CASABLANCA and REAL MADRID v AL-HILAL both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MANCHESTER CITY V WYDAD CASABLANCA
5pm Two European giants start their FIFA Club World Cup campaign on Wednesday as Manchester City and Real Madrid are both in action on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE! They will be both fully expected to win, and although they are both trading at short prices, I’m sure the double will prove to be a popular bet. We kick off the day with Manchester City meeting Wydad Casablanca in Group G. You could call this the most interesting Group given Juventus are in it along with Manchester City; however we do have PSG and Atletico Madrid in Group B as well. There’s a massive gulf in class between the sides here, and it’s no surprise to see Pep Guardiola’s men come into the game as the red-hot favourites. Manchester City are trading 1.09 with Wydad Casablanca 40.0 and the draw is 16 .0 at the time of writing. That’s not the shortest price of the tournament – we saw 1.02 on Bayern Munich at the weekend – but it does highlight the massive difference in performance levels from clubs here. I said this during the International Break and perhaps it applies here too – games like this do put some football fans off the game cause they are so uncompetitive.
Cue a massive shock after saying that! However, it’s exceptionally difficult to see anything bar a comfortable Manchester City win. They have the money to have an incredible squad; I know FIFA brought in a rule to stop this, but City could send their Second XI here and still go deep into the tournament. They’d probably win it if everyone played their Second XI! Wydad Casablanca are a classic example of FIFA needing to look at who gets into this tournament – they won the Botola in Morocco in 2021/22 but finished sixth in 2023/24 and they were third this season 16 points off top spot. They aren’t even the top side in their domestic league, and as we saw with Bayern Munich at the weekend – this is a game where the score line could get quite embarrassing to be honest. This one is about how many goals can City score rather than will they actually win – Both Teams Not To Score is 1.43, effectively a City clean sheet. I like City to cover the handicap though; they are trading 1.88 -2.5 goals and that looks a nice position to start the day.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Manchester City -2.5 goals to beat Wydad Casablanca at 1.88 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ManWyd
REAL MADRID V AL-HILAL
8pm Next we have Real Madrid meeting Al-Hilal. As you would expect again here, the European giants come into the game as the red-hot odds on favourites. Saudi Arabia have obviously pumped a lot of money into their league though, so it’s interesting to see how they get on. Real Madrid are probably still adjusting to life under Xabi Alonso too, who clearly has a very different style to Carlo Ancelotti who has just left. Real Madrid paid £10 million to have Trent Alexander-Arnold for this tournament, so obviously they are taking it seriously! Real Madrid are trading 1.3 with Al-Hilal 11.0 and the draw is 6.8 at the time of writing. Obviously most of the focus in Saudi Arabia this season has been on Ronaldo and Al-Nassr, but Al-Hilal managed to finish ahead of them this season in second. They were eight points off top spot though, but they ran away with the title last season. I have been sticking to low stakes on the opening games of the tournament, and that’s obviously the play again here given the gulf in class between the sides. Al-Hilal and the Saudi Pro League could easily be exposed here.
Most of the focus is going to be on Real Madrid, and how they play under Alonso. His choice of starting XI will be intriguing, and with Real Madrid trading as short as 1.3 we’ll have to look around the side markets for some value. Real were quite sloppy at the back this season, and an aim for Alonso will be to make them a lot more solid at the back. They were comfortably behind Barcelona in La Liga this season in both attack and defence; however the reality is there’s a huge gulf in class between the sides here. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.43 and the market is expecting an open game as Both Teams Not To Score is 2.2. I know Real like to play an exceptionally open game, but I feel that 2.2 offers a little bit of value. It’s effectively a Real Madrid clean sheet bet in my opinion, and I’d have it slightly shorter. Al-Hilal are pretty limited despite all the money behind them.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Both Teams Not To Score at 2.2 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ReaAlh
